The Life and works of AchArya RaamAnujA : Part 1

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs: We are adding 50 Q&A as well as

a write up on the Life and works of AchArya RaamAnujA

for the CD ROM prior to release to BhakthAs eagerly

waiitng to receive them.Her eis the input from adiyEn

on the Life and works of Sri RaamAnujA for the CD ROM .

Since the article is longish for the sake of completeness

of coverage of the subject matter , adiyEn will post it

in few parts.

V.Sadagopan

SRI:

 

ChaithrArdhrA sambhavam VishNO: darsana sthApanOthsukam I

ThuNDIramaNdalE utthitham Seshamoorthim RaamAnujam BhajE II

 

AchArya RaamAnujA born as the incarnation of AdhisEshan

********************************************************

 

AchArya RaamAnujA was born in ThoNdai Naadu as

the son of Sri BhUmi Piratti and Aasurikula Tilakam ,

Sri Kesava SomayAji at PerumbhUdhUr on a PingaLa Year ,

Chitthirai Month, Sukla Paksha Panchami day , when

ArudhrA constellation ( ThiruvAdhirai ) was in

ascendance . This PingaLA year in the western calendar

is 1017 A.D. Thirumalai Nampi , a renowned sishyar of

AaLavandhAr was the child's uncle . He recognized

that the child is an avthAram of Adhi Seshan ;he also

recognized that the child is going to become a great

Sri VaishNavite AchAryan .Hence , Thirumalai nampi

gave the name of RaamAnujan to the new born child .

This child lived for 120 years on this earth and

during its rich life systematized and established

on a firm footing the doctrines of VisishtAdvaithA,

which have been expounded earlier by BodhAyanA ,

DramidA and TankA and elaborated by Nathamuni

and AaLavandhAr .

 

The divine recogniton of Sri RaamAnujA's contributions

********************************************************

 

AchArya RaamAnujA was recognized for his monumental

contributions to Sri ViasishtAdvaitha Darsanam in his

own life time by the Divya Dampathis of Srirangam,Kaanchi ,

ThirunArAyaNapuram , ANDAL of SrivilliputthUr and

Devi Sarasvathi through their conferring of the titles of

Udayavar ,Sri BhashyakArar nd amny other honprs .

AchArya RaamAnujA was also addressed as Ilaya PerumAl

by his sishyAs . Further , Lord VaradarAjA initiated

RaamAnujA into SanyAsaasramam and conferred

on him the title of YathirAjan at that time . Lord VaradarAjA

reluctantly gave RaamAnujA later as a gift to Sri RanganAthA. Lord

VaradarAjA also answered through Thirukkacchi Nampi the questions

that were topmost on the mind of RaamAnujA .The many incidents

relating to the Vaibhavam of AchArya RaamAnujA are summarized

in the special home pages created by Srimans Achyutharaman

and MadhavakkaNNan of Simhapuri and this CD ROM . The works of

AchArya RaamAnujA are also covred there as well as the highlights of

Bhagavad RaamAnuja Darsanam . BhakthAs are referred to these

pages with the URL , http://members.tripod.com/~sri Ramanujar/

For now , we will content ourselves with a breif summary

of the highlights of the Life and works of Sri RaamAnujA

the like of whom we will not be able to see again .

 

AchArya RaamAnujA's early Tuetlage at Kaanchipuram

****************************************************

 

Sri RamAnujA studied VedAnthA first under YadhavaprakAsA

at Kaanchi. When YadhavaprakAsA misintrepreted the meanings

of Sruthi and Upanishadh Vaakyams , Sri RaamAnujA pointed

out the correct meanings following the Sri VisishtAdhvaidhic

tradition.This angered the Guru .The infuriated Guru plotted

to kill RaamAnujA . Lord VaradarAja intervened and saved RaamAnujA

from the jealous Guru's wrath . Meanwhile , the intellectual

brilliance and the rich Saastraic Jn~Anam of RaamAnujA

attracted the attention of Sri ALavandhAr , the greatst

Sri VaishNava AchArya of that time , who was staying in

Srirangam . ALavandhAr came to Kaanchi and prayed to

Lord VaradarAjan to bless RaamAnujA to become the leading

pravarthakA and nirvAhakA of Sri VishitAdhvaitha siddhAntham .

ALavandhAr did not get to meet RaamAnujA in person at Kaanchi

prior to his return to Srirangam .AaLavandhAr's health

weakened after return to Srirangam and he reached Sri Vaikuntam

without iniitating RaamAnujA in person as his successor .

RaamAnujA , who had heard about the illness of ALavandhAr

rushed to Srirangam to receive latter's blessings .It was

however too late .

 

When RaamAnujA saw the charama ThirumEni of AalavandhAr ,

he noticed that three of the fingers of the right hand

were closed as if to indicate that he had three

unfulfilled wishes .RaamAnujA asked the intimate disciples

about those wishes . RaamAnujA was told that the three wishes

were :(1) Writing of a commentary for the VyAsa Soothrams

(2) Naming of two Brahmin boys with the names of ParAsarA

(the author of VishNu PurANam ) and VyAsA ( the author of

Brahma Soothrams and Many PurANams )and (3) the writing of

a commentary for Swami NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi . RaamAnujA

pledged to fulfil the three wishes of AaLavandhAr with

the anugraham of the divya dampathis of Kanchipuram and

the folded fingers on the body of AalavandhAr suddenly

opened up after hearing this pledge . All those assembled

in sorrow around the chrama ThirumEni of AaLavandhar

were overcome by what they witnessed and hailed RaamAnujA

as the future Darsana SthApakar of Sri VisishtAdvaitham .

RaamAnujA took the permission of the chief disciple of AaLavandhAr,

Sri Periya Nampi ( MahA PoorNar ) and returned to Kaanchi

with a heavy heart .

 

(To Be Continued)